was wondering what everyone else used on the different fishies...i use 3/0 for kings and chum(and some have even been bent straight), 2/0 for silvers, and 1/0 for steelies...i know a lot of people use #2 or even#3 for steelhead but i just can't take that chance of losing that once in a great while 20 pounder because i was running too light tackle...what do yall think???

i have been able to catch and land all size fish on a #4 and even#6 size hookslargest king34lbs chum mid twenties,steelies teens, alot depends on the tech. beening used,the above were all flies. trolling for kings i use 3/0 in herring!

big fish, big hooks

I always use #4 for Steelhead and often use them for silver as well. Sometimes I'll step up to a #2 for silvers. I usually use a 1/0 for Kings.

I drift fish so I use:
Chinooks, silvers= #2 to 1/0 hook
Steelhead= #4 to #2

All you need is a good sharp hook.

I like my hooks on the big side, 2/0 to 3/0 depending on brand for rags, and 1/0 for bait. For salmon fishing with herring I use a 5/0 with a 4/0 trailer. Those hooks look pretty small in the noses on the size of fish I catch :p

Salmon (Kings, Silvers, Chums)

2-4 Fly
1/0 - 1 Gear

Steelhead:
Fly - 2-6
gear - 2

1/0 for kings, but will be switching to #1 this next year, reason why is the smaller corkie seems to sink out of the fishes range and will usually snag underneath the fish, ive tried 2 corkie setups but im not that fond of them..jus my experience with bigger hooks..

Unless the water is way low and way clear, fish are almost never hook and line shy.

I like using a big ol' hook and pretty much just gaffs a fish in the face when they bite! I don't screw around when it comes to hooks.

Steelies: 3/0 to #2. Depends on water, conditions, and techniques being used.

Kings. 6/0-3/0. Never fished the Kenai, so that's why my top end is so small!

Chums: 3/0-2/0

Slivers: 1/0-3/0

I tend to stay on the smaller side. 4's - 2's for steelies and silvers and when fishing the salt depending on the bait size 2/0-5/0.
What penetrates better and needle or a nail

I USED to use the larger hooks for steelhead. I found that when I went to a double #4 rig, 'bout the only way a fish was getting off was to break it. With the smaller hooks they will almost always get a deeper set with a lot less energy. I think that you'll find that the smaller hooks being that they are a finer diameter, will bury all the way with a lot less energy. Meaning that the ones that just bairly mouth it, will stand a better chance of getting hooked. You are trying to drive a lot less metal through a jaw. Just my .02 cents.

Tim

summer and winter steelhead... #2 hooks
spring and fall kings....3/0 hooks
don't fish for silvers here as they are ugly, but those that do use #2.

I tend toward the smaller hooks, believing that increased penetration of the smaller hooks is favored over the strength and size of the larger hooks.

#2's for steelhead, silvers #1's for chinook. every year my hook size gets smaller, better hook sets with smaller hooks.